A Kingdom Hearts Christmas
by clayvessel14
Summary: So let's say Xion and some of the other Organization members aren't dead, Xemnas doesn't have a secret agenda, and nobody hates each other; what would Christmas at The Organization's castle be like? And what happens when Xion feels excluded? Read, review, and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys! I'm new to the site and excited to share and read fanfics! Sadly, I do not own Kingdom Hearts but I do love writing about it!**

"Axel! Axel! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

Two shrill voices pierced through Axel's veil of sleep. He moaned, which turned into a yelp as Xion and Roxas came crashing down on top of him. They shook him in a desperate attempt to wake him fully, while also reminding him that it was, in fact, Christmas. He tried to blindly swat them away, refusing to open his eyes in a defiant effort to go back to sleep. But, the two excited teens would not be deterred so easily. The last remnants of sleep drifted away and Axel was faced with the prospect of getting up. He caught his best friends each in a headlock, causing them to laugh in delight and squirm to get away.

"Let us go!"

"Why should I? You two woke me up before I was ready to!"

"Axel, if it was up to you, you would never be "ready" to wake up!" countered Xion.

"Ha-ha, true enough."

"**Let us go!**" they continued to shriek.

Axel finally relented. For a moment, the trio just sat on Axel's bed not doing anything. So it was Christmas. Christmas had arrived. Axel had forgotten what it was like to look forward to things but, his friends brought new life to his, well…life. Things had stopped having meaning to him. He owed Roxas and Xion more thanks than they knew for bringing the fun back into his life .

"But I sure as heck am **not** going to thank them for nearly startling the red out of my hair!" he thought.

Their excitement returning, Roxas and Xion each grabbed one of Axel's arms with hopes of pulling him out of bed. The older Organization member didn't put up a fight; he was awake and there was no hope of getting back to sleep, sadly. Once he was fully out of bed, Roxas and Xion stopped suddenly. It was as if they were frozen in time. Their stares starting to make him uneasy, Axel asked,

"What!? What are you looking at?"

Xion clapped her hands over her eyes, giggling. Roxas just stared…and stared…and stared. Axel looked down at himself.

"Oh… it's the onesie isn't it?"

Roxas nodded like a bobble head. Darn. He'd forgotten he was wearing it. Trying to preserve some of his dignity, Axel shifted the focus.

"Well if you guys didn't come in here like a pack of Power Wilds then maybe I could've spared you this!"

"It has reindeers on it…" commented Roxas.

"**Reindeer,**" corrected Axel, "**And,** it's Christmas. Y'know, 'cause reindeer are Christmassy!"

Still holding her hands over her eyes, Xion spoke.

"So what about when it's not Christmas? What do you wear then?"

Axel turned red.

"Do I ask you about what type of pajamas _you_ wear Xion!?"

"Well, no."

"Right, so return the favour." he muttered, "And give me a minute to change."

Roxas directed the eternally scarred Xion out of the room, seeing as she _still _had not removed her hands from her eyes. Finally alone, Axel got ready for the day.

**So please read and review! And get ready for chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright here's chapter 2! Disclaimer: IdonotownKingdomHearts. There. I said it.**

Once dressed, Axel went and found his pals, who were in Roxas' room waiting for him. He walked in on a hushed conversation regarding what kinds of pajamas he wore. They were startled when Axel cleared his throat loudly in the doorway.

"Oh, uh hi Axel! Ready to go downstairs?" asked a flustered Roxas.

"I dunno, if you guys aren't too busy discussing my sleepwear…"

Their faces turned even redder.

"No no! We're ready to go! Right Xion?"

"Right!"

With that, the trio walked down the gray stairs of the castle to The Living Room That Never Was. The scene that greeted them was surprisingly cheery. In the center of the room stood a towering pine tree; the grandest Christmas tree anyone had ever seen. It must've been thirty feet tall! (This by tree standards isn't very tall I know, but try fitting that through the door!) The tree was covered in silver tinsel that shimmered against the deep green of the needles. There was also a brilliant silver star sparkling at the top. However, the most interesting aspect of the tree was definitely the ornaments. There were thirteen ornaments, each unique in size, shape, and colour.

"Wow…" said an amazed Roxas and Xion. Even Axel was in awe. He'd had so many Christmases with The Organization and never once felt this way standing in front of the tree.

"I guess their excitement is rubbing off on me" he thought.

All the inhabitants of the castle were slowly filing in, rubbing their eyes and yawning. The untrained eye might have mistook this for a lack of enthusiasm, but Axel knew that a lot of the members had been anticipating Roxas and Xion's first Christmas with them for a long time.

"Good morning" Xemnas said.

"Mur-murning…" grumbled a half-asleep Zexion.

"Greetings." In came Marluxia.

"Merry Christmas!" announced Xigbar.

"Nobody talk to me!" (Larxene)

"…" (Lexaeus)

"(Sneer of disgust)" (Vexen)

"(glare)" (Saix)

"This is ridiculous." (Xaldin)

"Anybody up for an early game of poker?" (Luxord)

And lastly…

"**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODYYYYY**!"

Everyone sighed.

"Morning Demyx." Came the cult-like response.

Demyx looked dejected for a moment. Then, he perked up and asked,

"Did Roxas and Xion get their ornaments yet?"

Axel's back stiffened.

"Well that was _supposed _to be a surprise Demyx but now…" he looked down at Roxas and Xion.

"Surprise I guess."

"That's okay Axel", Comforted Xion, "_I'm_ surprised! That's what you wanted right?"

He smiled and ruffled Xion's short black hair.

"Yeah."

"ALRIGHT LET'S BRING ON THE ORNAMENTS!"

"Demyx, must you shout all the time?" inquired Xemnas. Demyx was thoroughly embarrassed at having his boss speak to him so he shut up. Inside, Axel's heart rate quickened. He had helped design Roxas and Xion's ornament at Xemnas' request, and now he would get to see their reactions. Roxas was first. Xemnas ceremonially approached the blond teen with his ornament and laid it in his cupped hands.

"Here is your ornament, Number Fourteen. Merry Christmas."

"It's a Keyblade!" exclaimed Roxas.

Sure enough, his ornament was an exact replica of his weapon. As he turned it every which way, it glistened prettily in the light. Roxas addressed everyone with a formal thank-you. There were smiles all around. Next it was Xion's turn. Xemnas disappeared from the room for a second and then returned with Xion's ornament.

"And here is _your_ ornament, Number Fifteen. Merry Christmas."

"Mine's a Keyblade too!" she observed.

"Put them together!" prompted Axel. His friends looked at him because they were confused.

``The Keyblades fit together!``

Roxas nodded. Delicately taking Xion`s ornament, he tried several times to put them together. Finally, there was a metallic clicking sound as the twin Keyblades fit together, forming an X. Suddenly, the interlocked ornaments emitted a burst of flame!

``Àh!`` yelled a startled Roxas.

The flames were holographic but realistic enough to make him toss the ornaments up into the air out of surprise. Axel dove with his lightning fast reflexes to catch them before they hit the ground and broke. For a second, nobody moved. Then, everyone burst out laughing at the sight of the too-cool-for-school Axel sprawled out on the floor. Between laughs, Roxas said,

``Gee, I wonder who designed our ornaments?"

**Who indeed? Read, review, and check out chapter three once it's posted!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright here's chapter three! Read and review! Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the characters associated with it.**

After the whole ornament fiasco settled down and the twin Keyblades hung safely on the tree, it was time for…

"SECRET SANTA!" (Announced by Demyx)

Xemnas sighed and explained in more precise, _quiet_ terms what Secret Santa was.

"When Demyx first joined The Organization, it was near Christmas time. And so, as a tradition from his life as a Somebody, he introduced the, erm… Secret Santa gift giving process."

Xemnas seemed to stumble over the words "Secret Santa". It was as if they weren't sophisticated enough for him to say. Meanwhile, Roxas and Xion listened intently. Their eyes shone with excitement. Axel watched them, a contented smile spreading on his face. It was as if they were young children! Not masters of the almighty Keyblade! He supposed they were so enthusiastic because they didn't have memories from when they were Somebodies, so this was all new for them.

"Each year", continued Xemnas, "We draw names to see who will be giving who a gift. This system has actually produced better results for us, as it means less money spent and less hassle altogether. We all receive our gifts in order. Meaning," here Xemnas got a twinkle in his eye, softening his otherwise strict demeanor, "That I receive my gift first." While Xemnas rooted around under the tree (a very un-Xemnas like thing for him to do) Axel took in the scene in front of him. The gray walls, floor, and couches were normally so depressing, but with everyone gathered here like this around the beautiful tree, the fully occupied couches felt homey and comfortable. Everyone was cheerful (or at least not completely downright **miserable** in the cases of Larxene, Xaldin, Vexen, and Saix) and for once there was a sense of family. After what seemed like an eternity, Xemnas pulled a rectangular shaped present out from under the tree. It looked like whoever had wrapped it had done so carefully and slowly. Upon ruining the perfect wrapping job, Xemnas found a clipboard. He regarded it questioningly.

"Uh, my thanks go out to…whoever this is from. It was very…thoughtful of you."

A pleased smirk was barely visible across Saix's face. Next it was Xigbar's turn to receive a gift since he was II. His gift was inside a small gift bag. It turned out to be a genuine leather eye patch! Xigbar gave a hearty laugh and exchanged his old, tattered eye patch for the smooth new one. Xaldin got several chick flicks (a practical joke to make him feel emotion), Vexen received several new texts on advanced chemistry, and Lexaeus was given two gargantuan dumbbells. After searching for at least five minutes, Luxord took pity on Zexion and found his present for him: a Harry Potter bookmark. Luxord laughed. Zexion did not. Saix was next. Everyone was anxious to see what he got. Would it please him? Or would he go all berserker on someone? There wasn't much mystery surrounding Saix's present because when he pulled it out from under the tree, it wasn't even wrapped! It just had a ribbon around it and a nametag slapped on.

"Vitamin E oil?" Saix remarked flatly.

Everyone snickered as he continued to read the bottle.

"Proven to effectively nourish skin, fill wrinkles, reduce the appearance of stretch marks, and… _fade scars."_

The room erupted with laughter. Saix just scowled, the X shaped scar on his face twitching. Now they were at number eight. It was Axel's turn. He rose slowly from his comfy spot in between Xion and Roxas on the couch. He kneeled down and peered under the Christmas tree. There weren't very many gifts left so it was easy to find the box with his name on it. Instead of going back to his spot with his friends, he sat in an oversized armchair the colour of a rainy sky. He wanted to create a bit of suspense. First, he peeled off the layer of green and red striped wrapping paper. Then, he opened the flaps on one end of the box. He reached into the box, looked up, made eye contact with everyone, and smirked.

"C'mon Axel!" pleaded Demyx, "Don't keep us in suspense any longer man!"

Axel began pulling something very slowly and deliberately out of the box, knowing what it was but taking pleasure in Demyx's distress. The over-excited sitar player was practically pulling his sandy blond hair out.

"AHHHHG! I've had enough of this!" he suddenly yelled. He charged Axel in a desperate attempt to take whatever was in his hand. Soon the two men were wrestling on the floor; Axel holding his arm high, a sea-salt Popsicle waving around wildly as they fought. At first it was just grappling, but it turned into full out punches within thirty seconds. Xion was crying and Roxas was on his way to break it up but Axel was clearly the more skilled fighter and overpowered Demyx quickly. By the time the fight was over, Axel sat perched atop Demyx's back eating his ice cream, while he thrashed about and wailed,

"UNCLE! UNCLE! OKAY YOU WIN! GET OFF!"

"Only if you apologize for calling me a loudmouth" requested Axel smugly, a bite of salty-sweet goodness in his mouth.

Demyx stilled.

"Wait, how did you hear about that?"

Not far away, Roxas blushed.

**Kudos to anyone who knows when Demyx called Axel a loudmouth!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys, here's chapter four! Things really start to get hectic in this chapter and I hope I won't disappoint any of you! I just checked my view stats and was amazed to see that I've had readers from all over the place! (: So without further ado…**

Demyx was exceedingly disappointed that he got his butt wupped for the sake of a family sized box of sea-salt ice cream-sicles. There was no disappointment in Axel's emerald eyes though; only an appreciation for his favourite treats. Number X was Demyx, and it was his turn. At some point he had wiggled out from under Axel and was now lying, panting on the hard, ashen floor.

"Psst!" Axel whispered to Demyx from the comfort of his Lazy Boy (also grey, like **everything **else in the castle)

"Psst! Demyx! It's your turn!"

Suddenly Demyx's mood changed from:

"Oh my gosh I am so tired and embarrassed from getting my butt kicked royally" kind of mood.

To a:

"Yay it's my turn; all is well in the world!" sort of mood. What he actually said was,

"Oooookayyyy! It's Demyx's turn!"

He rubbed his hands together greedily and everyone was a little weirded out that Number Ten was speaking in the third person. Nonetheless, he automatically made a beeline for the biggest present, assuming it was his. His face fell when he read the nametag.

"R-Roxas? B-but… Roxas? Really?!"

Roxas felt a bubble of excitement rise up in him.

"That one's for me?" he asked cautiously, afraid of being disappointed.

Demyx nodded sadly.

"Sweet!" Roxas exclaimed.

Xion felt bad for Demyx (even though he didn't really deserve her sympathy) so she went in search of his present while he sulked. Once she found it she quietly approached him; she was afraid of making him even more upset. Sometimes he just acted like such a little kid!

"Demyx?" she began, "I have your present right here."

He took it and glumly started unwrapping it. It was a small, but beautifully wrapped box of…

"GLOW-IN-THE-DARK SITAR STRINGS! No way! Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to find sitar strings these days, not to mention glow-in-the-dark ones too? This is AWESOME! Thanks whoever-this-is-from!"

Zexion flashed a peace sign and Xion giggled, happy to see Demyx back to normal. Demyx wasn't **always** a pain in the butt…just** most **of the time. After Demyx, it was Luxord's turn; he got a deck of cards. (His only comment was: "How original.") Marluxia received a dozen crimson roses, which he raised a pink eyebrow at before shaking his head while chuckling lowly. Larxene displayed a small pout at this. She maintained her scowl as she opened _her_ gift: a spa gift set.

"Well this is the automatic go-to for a man buying for a woman but…I **suppose** I can use this."

Everyone groaned. Did she **ever** stop complaining?

"**I DO NOT COMPLAIN THAT MUCH YOU ****STUPID**** AUTHOR!"**

Me: "Yes you do Larxene, admit it. And also, you just totally obliterated the fourth wall. At this point in time, I am taking you out of the castle so we can talk. You are now floating in space."

"Ugh. This space is so…so, SPACEY!"

"(sigh)"

"You are so annoying!"

"So is Demyx and you put up with him. But then again, you think everybody's annoying, especially men."

"Well not **all** men are annoying…SOME ARE DEAD! MUAHAHAHAHA!"

"Anywayyyy…back to the castle where Xion is poking Roxas and telling him it's his turn!"

"Roxas, it's your turn now. You're Number Thirteen remember?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right."

Axel gave Roxas a reassuring nod. That was enough for him to get up and approach the giant box. It was so big it didn't even fit under the tree! It was just sort of off to the side, half hidden. Oddly, the room seemed to be holding its breath, anticipating something. Nobody spoke and all eyes were on Roxas. He stood directly in front of the box, arms poised to begin tearing away wrapping paper. The closer his fingers got to touching the paper, the closer everyone leaned on the edges of their seats. Then…

Roxas turned around.

"I'd just like to say th-"

"Aw!" the group gave a collective disgusted sigh. The suspense was broken. Roxas was startled into silence. After a second though, he continued.

"Thank you for your generosity and kindness; not just whoever gave this to me, but everyone. It really-"

"Roxas! Just shut up and open it already!" blurted Xigbar.

Axel shook his head.

"Wow Xigbar, **very** subtle. I'm sure he has absolutely no idea who his Secret Santa is now!"

"Oh, erm…sorry. Continue." Xigbar said, waving a hand dimissively.

Roxas nodded and obeyed. He began tearing away strips of sparkly black paper to reveal…

A plain cardboard box with a little hole in it. There appeared to be an outline of a door and if Roxas was correct, he was supposed to use the hole as a handle. Cautiously and slowly he slipped two fingers through the hole and pulled.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

**So what's in the box? Why did Roxas scream? Read the next chapter to find out! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow I'm at chapter 5 already! Hope you guys are enjoying it! And now you get to find out what is in Roxas' box! As always, read, review, and enjoy! Disclaimer: As unfortunate as it is, I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters associated with it.**

A shadow Heartless tackled Roxas to the ground! His Keyblade was out immediately and he bonked the tiny Heartless repeatedly in the head.

"Back off!"

BONK!

"Get away from me!"

BONK!

"Who let this thing in here?"

BONK!

Dazed, it reeled backwards, lost its balance, and plopped down on its butt.

Roxas got on his feet and swung the Keyblade back, preparing for the death blow…oh that's right; in Disney nobody **dies**, they get **destroyed**. My bad. Okay so, Roxas got on his feet and swung the Keyblade back, preparing for the **final** blow! Suddenly, Xigbar of all people stepped in front of him and stopped him!

"NO Roxas! It's friendly!" he shouted.

Roxas looked like he'd been slapped in the face. Felt like it too. He struggled to comprehend what Xigbar was getting at. A friendly Heartless? There was no way. All Heartless were to be hunted down and k-

Oops. Almost said the K-word!

Anyway, his job was to collect hearts from Heartless. This was no different. The creature seated in front of him, its head bobbing as it tried to collect itself, was **clearly** a Heartless. And **he** was clearly a Keyblade master. It was simple; destroy the Heartless; get the heart. So why was Xigbar stopping him?

"F-friendly?" he questioned.

"Yes. F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y. It's a pet; for **you**." Xigbar spoke very slowly, as if explaining something to a young child.

"For…me?" a still confused Roxas asked.

"Ugh, will somebody please smack this kid upside the head so I don't have to?"

Larxene's hand shot up and she waved it around giddily. As usual, she was ignored.

"But Xigbar", Xion giggled, "There aren't any Somebodies here!"

Everyone laughed. She had a point. Meanwhile, Roxas and the shadow Heartless were eyeing each other warily. It still sat in the exact same position: flat on its butt with its legs splayed out in front of it. The boy wasn't sure if it was safe to put his Keyblade away yet. Just then, the Heartless rubbed its sore head gingerly where Roxas had hit it. What it did next caught Roxas so off guard that he couldn't have fought the creature if he tried. Its big, glowing, yellow eyes welled up with tears which spilled all over its tiny black face.

Now if you've never seen a shadow Heartless cry before, then you haven't witnessed true cuteness.

" , um…" Roxas stammered. He scratched his head and looked helplessly at Xigbar.

"What should I do?"

"JUST HUG THE DARN THING!"

Desperate for the crying to cease, Roxas gave the Heartless a tentative hug. As if by magic, its sniffling stopped and it nuzzled Roxas with its head. Soon boy and animal were playing on the floor together. They played tag, wrestling, and even hide-and-go-seek! Roxas would hide (which was fairly difficult to do, as the only things in the room were couches, chairs, the Christmas tree, and people) then Xiggy (named after Xigbar) would race around trying to find him. Xiggy needed to work on his hiding though. Every time Roxas commanded

"Hide!"

Xiggy would just gaze up at him uncomprehendingly and wave his antennas. This amazed and amused everyone so much that they watched the pair for almost two hours! However, their delight caused them to not notice a certain disappointed Nobody quietly slip away…

"**JUST SAYING, IT IS NOT THE "USUAL" FOR PEOPLE TO IGNORE ME! I AM A VALUED PART OF THE ORGANIZATION! PEOPLE LISTEN TO ME, YOU HEAR!? THEY LISTEN!"**

Me: "Erm, sorry Larxene what was that? I wasn't listening.

Larxene: (storms away angrily)

Me: "Heh heh heh."

**So that wraps up this chapter; sorry about it being so short! Have a swellegant day! **


	6. Chapter 6

**So who do you think ran away? If you read the summary, there's a clue! Read, review, and enjoy! Disclaimer: **

"**SHE DOES NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!"**

**Gee thanks Larxene. Yeah so, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. On with the story!**

"Huh?"

Axel scanned the room for someone. His emerald eyes darted from person to person. He saw twelve Nobodies seated on the floor playing with Xiggy, not including him.

"…ten, eleven, twelve" he counted again. There should've been thirteen. He turned away from the festivities, leaning against the wall and hoping beyond reason that the person he was looking for would pop up suddenly. Honestly, he had no idea how long they'd been gone and felt bad for not noticing them leave. He waited for ten minutes, to no avail. It was no use just waiting around. He'd have to go searching. Axel pushed off the wall and left the room without anyone noticing. He was an assassin; sneaking around was his specialty. Over the course of the next hour, he checked The Bedrooms That Never Were, the Dark Corridors, the Round Room, The Kitchen That Never Was, and even The Dance Studio That Totally Never Should Have Been. The thought struck him that he could tell everyone and they could search together but… Nah. He searched every inch of The Castle That Never Was and still had absolutely no luck; not even a clue. That meant there was only one more place to look…

Axel stepped out of the Dark Corridor and onto the Clock Tower. It was a beautiful building and the best spot for him and his friends to enjoy ice cream while watching sunsets. If she was here, she'd be right around the corner on their usual ledge. He'd brought them each a sea-salt ice cream from his box at home in hopes of cheering her up. He walked slowly to the corner of the tower and peered around it. Sure enough, there she was. He breathed a sigh of relief; he'd found her. She paced back and forth on the ledge, muttering to herself. What was she saying? He leaned in closer to hear better and noticed small wet marks on the ledge: the tell-tale sign of tears.

"…never notice…always invisible…don't even like me." was all he picked up.

She sounded really down-in-the-dumps. He'd seen her like this before; it was nothing an ice cream and a joke couldn't fix…or so he thought. Her pacing came to a halt on the middle of the ledge. A pleasant breeze blew by and threatened to displace her hood. She shivered, even though the afternoon air was surprisingly warm for December in Twilight Town. Pulling her hood back into place, she took a deep breath. Axel could see her breathing with her whole body, head up, and back arched, arms held out at her sides. Then, she did the most unexpected thing…

She jumped.

"XION!" Axel screamed. He lunged forward at a blinding speed with his arms outstretched –

And caught nothing but empty air. Time seemed to slow down. She was falling so fast, and someone was screaming. Who was screaming? Not Xion. It was him; he was screaming her name.

"No" he thought, "This is NOT how my Christmas is going to go! Not this year; or the next! Xion is not going to die!"

About halfway to the ground, Xion couldn't hear the sound of a Dark Corridor opening next to her over the sound of the wind howling in her ears. She was startled by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist. They were still falling. Using every bit of his elemental powers, Axel summoned a huge burst of flame underneath them to slow their fall. He had hopes it would work just like the flames at the bottom of a rocket. But Xion had gained an incredible amount of speed and the flame was not slowing their rate of descent. Axel now only had about twenty feet to eliminate that speed and save them. Save her. If all else failed, he would try to position himself in such a way that his body would cushion the blow. He should've been afraid, he knew that but the adrenaline pulsing through his veins wouldn't let him. He wasn't giving up just yet. A scream came tearing out of his chest, ripping the air with sound as he poured all of his being into that one flame. It was taking all his physical strength and willpower to create a fire with that much raw power. Six inches from the ground, they stopped falling. They hovered for a moment. Then, both Axel's flame and consciousness flickered out.


	7. Chapter 7

**As a sort of apology for not posting a chapter yesterday, I'm posting two today! If you enjoy the story or have any constructive criticism for me, don't be afraid to review! And now I'm going to beat Larxene to the disclaimer. Disclaimer: **

**Demyx: Hey can I do it?**

**Where'd you come from?**

**Demyx: Your imaginaaaaaaation!**

**Fine. Make it snappy. I got a story to write here!**

**Demyx: Yay! She does not own Kingdom Hearts or me! But she wishes she did!**

**Yeah whatever, keep dreaming. Although your sitar playing skills are nice and you have a lot of talent, I'll give you that.**

**Demyx: (blush)**

**Heh heh and **_**that**_** is how you make Demyx shut up!**

Cold. Something cold…on his lips. Sweet…but salty too. Axel licked the familiar taste of sea-salt ice cream off his mouth. As his consciousness returned, so did the pain.

"Mmmmmm" Axel moaned.

His eyes slowly opened to see a concerned face peering down at him. Xion was kneeling by his side holding an ice cream. Her short black hair was windblown and her ocean blue eyes were bloodshot, as if she'd been crying.

"Un, hey kiddo" he said in a hoarse voice. She saw him struggle to prop himself up onto his arm and helped him. Why was his voice so raspy? It was as if he'd been yelling or something. Then everything came back to him. Oh. He _had_ been yelling. When he remembered everything, he felt fiery anger rise inside him, like magma in a volcano. Why had Xion done something so stupid?

"What the heck were you doin' jumping off the clock tower!?" he demanded to know. He wasn't yelling; he couldn't. His throat was too sore. Xion's eyes refilled with tears. This was ridiculous; she was a Nobody without a heart so she shouldn't be able to cry! She was taking forever to answer him!

"Xion! Answer me!"

"I-I don't know."

"You got a death with or something?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. He could've certainly chosen a better way to say that.

"You never leave me alone when you should Axel. It's just… sometimes I need some time to myself. You always follow me and there are moments when I wish you really wouldn't. You don't need to worry about me so much."

"Well considering you've been reduced to jumping off of buildings, I'd say I sure as heck need to be worrying about you! But ya know, I guess if you want to be alone, committing suicide is a pretty good way to ensure that!"

"No… it's not like that."

Axel hardly even heard her response; he was on a roll.

"And I gotta say, I knew that selfishness with kids your age was common but if you were gonna eliminate your existence just 'cause everybody got a little distracted by Roxas' new pet and was taking a while to give you your present, then… that's just not okay!"

"Well that was part of it but… I just feel so invisible all the time. Nobody notices me or even cares that I exist. If I was gone… no one would miss me."

Like water on a fire, Axel's anger was extinguished. He put his free arm around Xion.

"Ya know, I remember one of my other _best friends_ saying those exact same words to me once. I don't think he realized how much _I'd _miss him. The same goes for you, Xion."

The tears started rolling down her cheeks but, she was smiling and her eyes had their sparkle back.

"Thanks, Axel. I'm sorry. I just don't know how to face things. Running away… it's the only thing I think of to do."

"Well," Axel stood slowly, grimacing against the pain. He looked down at the kneeling figure of Xion and thumped his fist on his chest, a fiery expression on his face.

"I'll always be here to bring you back!" he declared passionately.

Xion gave her signature giggle. It turned into a full out laughing fit in no time at all.

"Axel, I think the spirit of Christmas is getting to you. You're acting strange."

His heroism not getting the response he'd hoped for, Axel's face turned as red as his hair which he was sheepishly running a hand through.

"Uh yeah, well let's RTC,"

"But…"

"And also let me finish that ice cream if you're not going to."

"Sure, here." She handed it to him, then continued, "Axel I'm not ready to go back yet. Can't we just stay here?"

She stood and gave him puppy dog eyes. Those eyes threatened to break his resolve every time. Sometimes he gave in, but not always, He would not give in today, although he gave her a sympathetic look.

"Xion I bet the castle's already in an uproar. We've been gone for hours. We have to go back."

"If what you're saying about the uproar is true, then it's only because they noticed _you_ were missing."

Axel sighed.

"Then it appears we have a dilemma."

Silence.

"Alright I'll just prove to you that they care then." He said, shrugging.

He tried to summon a Dark Corridor but only managed the dark purple outline of one. He was too weak; his powers were completely depleted. That meant Xion was the only one who could get them back. In his head, he thought of ways to try and persuade her. This was so frustrating! He was an assassin; not a counselor! This was a job more suited for Zexion. But Zexion wasn't here.


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Saturday! So here's the next chapter which I hope you enjoy. If so, please review!**

**Xemnas: This youth does not own Kingdom Hearts. No one may own Kingdom Hearts. She is mine! MINE I tell you!**

**Well in that case Xemnas, you better put her on a diet; she's put on a couple pounds recently. Might be time to lay off the myocardium!**

**Xemnas: ? I have no knowledge of this strange term you use but I assure you, Kingdom Hearts is not obese! **

**Riiiiight. Just like you're not obsessed with "Her". Anyway, on with the story.**

"Axel, I really don't want to go back!" pouted Xion.

"Argh!" Axel growled in frustration.

He wound his fingers through his hair, almost ready to rip it out. He took a deep breath because he didn't want to get mad at Xion. Her whining was starting to try his patience. He'd lost his temper with Xion before and always regretted it. He was determined to keep his cool this time around.

"I'm sorry Axel but I just can't go back."

"Even _after_ all that mushy junk I said!?"

She nodded sadly.

"I experienced a devastating case of sentimental word vomit and yet you are not moved?"

Head shake.

"Well when exactly do you plan on taking us back then? 'Cause the idea of missing Christmas dinner _really_ doesn't sit well with me."

His stomach growled.

"…OR my stomach!"

"I could just send _you_ back through the portal then…" Xion suggested.

"Sorry. That's not how it works. I'm not goin' back without you."

She looked up at him with her most debilitating puppy dog eyes yet. In turn, he tilted his head to the side and tried to look _really_, REALLY hungry.

"C'mon Xion! You're not gonna let your best friend wither away to nothing are ya?"

"I have more munny. I can buy us food."

"But can you buy us Xaldin's signature turkey roast with buttery garlic mashed potatoes and fresh sweet corn? Complete with succulent turnip, sweet and tangy cranberries, and _gravy?_"

"Uhhhh…"

"OR his decadently spiced pumpkin pie and homemade French vanilla ice cream?"

"Well…"

"No! You can't buy us that! So please Xion, take us home. Because by staying here, you're keeping me here too!"

"I said I'll just send _you_ back!"

"What are you so afraid of!?" he yelled.

He had failed his attempt at staying calm. Immediately he felt guilty. Xion could be so sweet… but so stubborn!

"Nothing. You said yourself that Nobodies can't feel fear."

She had him there.

"I know I've said that in the past Xion, but thinking of you and Roxas and hanging out together eating ice cream…"

"Yeah?"

"It makes me smile. And people…_normal_ people smile when they're _happy_."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that what I feel when I'm with you guys; it's not just memories of feeling something. I actually feel it."

Xion took a moment to process this. It was an interesting revelation. She smiled up at her fiery haired friend.

"Me too Axel! You guys…you make me so happy. And since I don't have any memories of my past life, then that must mean that what I feel is actual emotion. It's just sometimes I feel really sad too. The sadness follows me and I can't shake it. You and Roxas are the only people that care about me. The rest of The Organization just wishes I never joined. I thought maybe I could make the sadness go away if I…"

Axel gulped and held his hand up to stop her.

"Yeah I got it memorized. We don't have to talk about it anymore."

Xion smirked.

"Don't have to or don't _want_ to?" she questioned mischievously.

"Heh, you know me; don't like things to be complicated."

"True…you know, I think I'm ready to go back now."

"Really? That's great! Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I guess you and Roxas are really the only people I need. As long as I have you guys; nothing else matters. Thanks for helping me realize that Axel."

"Glad to hear you got it memorized."

He smiled down warmly at her.

"Now let me see if I can conjure up a way home" she said.

"FINALLY!"

**So what'd you think? We're getting close to the end now **** But I'm already working on the rough draft for my next story! Look for it soon after I wrap up this one!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sadly this will be the last chapter of **_**A Kingdom Hearts Christmas**_**. I hope you've enjoyed my first fanfic and read my next one titled **_**Glorious,**_** which will be published soon! **

**Larxene and Demyx: LET ME DO THE DISCLAIMER! NO LET ME! I WANNA DO IT!**

**Well since this is the last chapter, you can both do it.**

**Larxene: I am not working with **_**him!"**_

**Demyx: Well **_**I**_** am not working with **_**her!"**_

**Fine. Hey Axel will you do the last disclaimer?**

**Axel: Sure. She doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or any of us.**

**Thanks.**

**Larxene and Demyx: (jaws drop)**

Upon their arrival at The Castle That Never Was, Axel and Xion received an uproarious welcome, as Axel had predicted. Roxas, Demyx, Xigbar, Luxord, Zexion, and Xemnas crowded around them asking where they'd been and how they got so roughed up. Larxene, Marluxia, Saix, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Xaldin hung back. Despite the division, Xion was all smiles. She finally felt appreciated and cared for. Roxas gave her an awkward hug, then blushed and pulled away. Zexion seemed to be smiling at her under his curtain of hair; for once it wasn't a creepy, dark smile. Then Xemnas approached her with a large black book.

"This is for you, Number Fourteen. Not from me, but from someone who thought you needed to see how much he cared."

Xemnas seemed to struggle over the informal words he had been persuaded to say.

Xion was shocked and so didn't say anything. She just took the book and opened it and she saw…

Pictures. Page after page of pictures. Most of them were of her with Roxas and Axel but there was one of Demyx performing Happy Birthday for her when she joined The Organization. There was one of that time when Xigbar shot Saix with a suction cup Nerf dart right in the middle of his X shaped scar. Another one was taken while she was helping Marluxia with his gardening and accidently dumped a flower pot on his head. The very last picture was one that turned her face beet red. How could anyone have gotten a picture of that? It was a picture of the one time that Roxas had mustered up the courage to hold Xion's hand. It was taken from behind and they were walking through Twilight Town. But the only person that was there that day other than her and Roxas was…

"Axel!" Xion accused.

He held up his hands in surrender but said,

"Hey don't look at me! I just took the pictures 'cause I was asked to!"

"Axel!" exclaimed Roxas, "You weren't supposed to tell her! What part of _Secret_ Santa don't you get!?"

Everyone laughed at the scene that was playing out. Roxas tackled Axel and started play fighting with him. Xion was laughing hysterically.

"You idiot! She wasn't supposed to know it was from me!"

"Bahahahahahaha!" was all Axel could say because he was laughing so hard.

Xion turned to Xemnas.

"So Roxas drew my name then?"

He smiled down at her, a rare sight.

"No. He was assigned Zexion but he managed to trade with Vexen for your name."

Xion blushed. Eventually the two boys on the floor stopped fighting and sat next to each other, breathing hard. In that moment, Axel decided he wouldn't ever tell Roxas about the incident with Xion that had occurred that day. What he didn't know wouldn't kill him. Besides, Roxas was so easily troubled and he didn't let things go. Yeah, it was definitely better to not tell him. The rest of their Christmas was spent eating delicious food (sea-salt ice cream included of course), singing carols led by Demyx and his sitar, and avoiding the mistletoe a desperate Larxene had hung all over the castle. Marluxia's room seemed to have an abundance of mistletoe hidden among all his plants, much to his dismay. By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted and most of the castle's inhabitants went to bed early. However, a certain trio decided to watch the sunset on Twilight Town's clock tower…

"No matter how many sunsets we watch, I never get tired of doing this" commented Roxas.

Xion, Roxas, and Axel all sat on the clock tower's edge while the glowing sun bathed the town in red light. Naturally, they were having ice cream.

"It's as if each sunset is prettier than the last" agreed Xion.

"Or maybe you guys just have a better appreciation for them than you did at first" Axel chuckled.

"That- and sea salt ice cream!" laughed Xion.

"What? You mean you didn't like it at first?" questioned Axel, who pretended to be shocked and offended.

"Oh, it tasted fine… but it didn't make me happy like it does now. I think, maybe in the beginning, when someone first joins Organization XIII, they don't have a heart; just like Xemnas says. But over time, I think that we develop hearts of our own! The more experiences we have with other people, the more like a Somebody we become. That's why people like Saix and Larxene are the way they are. They don't take the time to nurture relationships with other people."

"Huh" was all Roxas had to say.

He was clearly mind-boggled by Xion's revelation.

"But… maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we just want hearts so bad, that we start pretending we have them."

"You guys listen up and listen close," began Axel, "Because I'm only gonna say this _once_: Whoever says we don't have hearts doesn't have a _brain!"_

The teens laughed. Axel continued,

"And as long as my _heart_ beats in my chest, you guys will always be my best friends. Heck, we'll be best friends even _after_ my heart stops beating. Got it memorized?"

"Yeah 'cause I know we couldn't _pay _you to say that again!" exclaimed Roxas while laughing. Axel pondered this.

"That again.' See? No problem!"

They all chuckled over Axel's witty escape from saying something sentimental again. Watching the sun that brought Christmas set, they continued talking and laughing over the stupidest things, just as best friends do. And hey, how much better of a sappy ending can ya get than that?

The End


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